


Throwing Ice Cubes into the Fire

by CydSA



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-05
Updated: 2010-05-05
Packaged: 2017-10-09 08:02:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CydSA/pseuds/CydSA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By day by night, I burn for you, In dark, In light, I yearn for you</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Opening

 

The mortal world is one of enticement to all who watch it. Those above and those below. Those above seek to preserve, protect, defend. Those below are bred to corrupt, entice, destroy. The line is not defined. There is no such thing as pure evil or true goodness. There is only the eternal battle. Never won.

 

Gambit

I'm the next act  
waiting in the wings

 

Kristopher had been watching the angel for weeks. It didn't look particularly holy. In fact, some might say it looked like it belonged to the below. It moved with the grace of the demonic. Fluid and gorgeous. Kristopher tipped his head to one side and looked carefully at the sentinel. It was big, larger than him and built along the lines of a mortal dancer. Male form, black hair, blue eyes, strong shoulders, graceful hands. It would appeal to the mortals. It appealed to the demons too. It appealed to Kristopher.

 

He was fascinated with the angel. It ranged among the mortals as though belonging and they never seemed to realize that it was anything but what it appeared to be. Hiding in plain sight was ingenious and he thought that he could use that tactic as well. He had his assignment and it appeared that the mortal was being safeguarded by his latest obsession.

 

The silver chains that linked him to his prey drew him close and he recalled all the information the Creator had given him. Allison Iraheta, twenty, single, musician. He looked at her standing with her guardian and wondered if she knew that she was in danger. He had learned the hard way that humans had other senses, extra senses that would often act as early warning systems. He had also learned that his appearance made mortals relax and think that they were safe. It was one of the reasons he was so good at what he did.

 

It was time to make the first move. He walked up to the girl and the angel with a broad smile, "Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have to ask, aren't you Allison Iraheta from American Idol?"

 

The young woman looked at him and her mouth spread in a bright grin, "Hey there, yeah, that's me. Don't say it too loud though, I'm here under the radar." The husky stage whisper was accompanied by a throaty laugh.

 

Kristopher instructed his mouth to stretch further, smiling made mortals comfortable, and it appeared to be working. The angel suddenly moved closer.

 

"Alli, what have I told you about talking to strangers?" Its bulk became a protective barrier between the girl and Kristopher and he glanced up, waiting for the recognition to set in. It didn't take long. The sensual mouth curled in a snarl and it bared its fangs. Kristopher showed his in response and the angel hissed.

 

"Adam?" The mortal's question was nervous, perhaps picking up on the tension between them.

 

The other turned to her with a smile. "We need to get going, sweetie. It's later than I thought."

 

Adam. Kristopher filed that knowledge away. He had its name now. There was power in that fact. He held out a battered notebook to the human. "Could you please sign this for me?"

 

With a giggle she took it and, producing a pen, signed with a flourish. "What's your name?"

 

"You can make it out to Kristopher." He was watching the angel. The widening of those impossibly blue eyes told him that the other understood the significance of the gesture. He had given some power back to the guardian with the revealing of his true name.

 

"There you go!" She handed the notebook back to Kristopher and shook his hand, "Nice to meet you, Kristopher." These mortals were so full of life, their bodies so rich with blood and juice. This one in particular smelled so sweet it was making Kristopher a little drunk. Or perhaps it was the angel's scent that was so intoxicating.

 

"Alli, go on inside now, your mother is waiting." Kristopher recognized the imperative embedded in the voice. This one was going to be a challenge. The girl obeyed, obviously attuned to the angel's signals already. This pair had been together for a while it seemed.

 

"Angel." Kristopher's tone was even. He had dealt with the above animals before and was immune to the magic of their voices and the charms of their bodies. Except, perhaps, this time, he might not be. There appeared to be something wrong with his demonic resistance to the draw of angelic heat.

 

"Demon." The title was whispered like a curse, and the angel's eyes were ice blue lightning. Kristopher wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew that it had something to do with the angel in front of him. "Stay away from my mortal. She is not for the likes of you."

 

Kristopher ignored the warning. He peered intently at that perfect face, confused at the … emotions? This was not meant to be. His order had no emotions. They had been stripped of them centuries before by the Creator as punishment for not living up to His expectations. He wasn't supposed to feel anything, let alone this … yearning. This need to touch, to taste, to feel. That word again.

 

"Demon? Did you hear me?" The angel spoke again but the words were less heated, puzzled at his lack of response.

 

"Tell me, Other, what does it mean when a demon feels?" Kristopher was not sure why he was asking the enemy, but it would understand the question.

 

"Feels what?" The reply was baffled and the angel stepped closer. "What is wrong with you, spawn?"

 

Kristopher shook his head, "I do not know. Everything. There is a noise inside my head." He looked at the angel pleaded, "Tell me what is happening to me?"

 

The guardian had moved closer, right into his space, past the barrier that should have kept it out, repelled it. It broke right through. "You do not stink of below. There is a strange scent about you. I do not understand."

 

Kristopher felt the heat of the other's body seep into the eternal cold of his. He could feel himself thawing while basking in the fire of above. "Help me." He moved right up against the angel and gasped as he felt the burn of the other's skin. "I am afraid." He felt the arms of the sentinel go around him as he toppled over, ice blasting through his veins as the below called to him and the above cradled him. He stared up at the angel who held him, lifted a trembling hand to touch an iron hot cheek. "So beautiful. Why is it that we cannot be as wondrous?"

 

The howl of the below pulled at him and he was wrenched from the arms of the angel and dragged back to his realm.

 

I'm an animal  
Trapped in your hot car

 

Adam could feel the flare of frozen fire lick along his arms as the demon was jerked from his hands, vanishing back to the abyss. It was a mystifying thing. In all his centuries as a guardian, he had never had more than brief interactions with demons and most of the time those moments were screaming hatred and attempting murder. This was another scenario completely and he needed to know what was going on.

 

He looked around at the mortals who were oblivious of the battle that was being waged around them and over them. They were like sheep, dumb and stubborn and so astounding that they kept the angels entertained for millennia. He turned to go inside, to find his charge, but paused to look around again. The encounter with the demon had unsettled him. This one, Kristopher, had appeared harmless. A charming disguise for evil, messy brown hair, chocolate eyes and a tight frame that could well appeal to … him. Adam was constantly teased by the others in the legion because of his preferences. He couldn't get them to see that the small ones tasted the sweetest.

 

This demon had appeared bewildered. It had asked him about feelings. Everyone knew that the below was devoid of emotion. There was something about this demon though that touched him. It had asked for help. Despite the fact that angels and demons were mortal enemies, the angelic legion was obligated to protect and champion even those who might not at first appear worthy. It would seem that Adam might have a new mission.

 

He contacted Matthew, "I have had a peculiar encounter with one of the spawn." Matthew was his equal, his brother, his friend.

 

"Explain." The voice was calm and in turn it gave Adam his centre.

 

"This demon came up to me, I was able to breach its barriers and in my arms it asked me for help. Told me I was beautiful. It said that it felt." Adam could not say which of these happenings had disconcerted him the most.

 

"Did the demon name itself?" Adam was startled at the question. It didn't sound as though Matthew was surprised at all.

 

"Yes, it gave its name as Kristopher." Adam waited for Matthew to reply. He heard Megan's voice in the background, murmuring in his mind, and she sounded agitated.

 

"Adam." Matthew's tone had changed. It was urgent now. "You need to find the spawn and bring it above. It would seem that we may have a defector."

 

Adam was speechless. This was unheard of, at least unheard of in all the centuries of his existence. "Bring one of the below, above? Is that even possible?"

 

Megan spoke in his head. "It has not happened in millennia, Adam. We must succeed."

 

He wasn't sure. "The demon has been sent to collect my charge. What do I do about her while I am off chasing after the below beast? Allison will be in danger."

 

Matthew replied, "We will send David to care for her. I think they will bond well."

 

Adam thought about his brother angel. David appeared as a youth, sweet faced and kind and he agreed with Matthew. "Yes, I think you may be right. Allison will grow fond of him. Send him swiftly. I cannot leave my mortal without protection."

 

"He is already on his way. Be careful. We are in uncharted waters here, brother, but if we succeed, we may tip the scales in our favour once and for all." Matthew's presence faded and Adam walked into the building, content to wait until his brother came.

 

Allison was with her mother in their kitchen and they both looked up and smiled at him. They were unusual humans in that they were utterly comfortable with him in their lives. That Allison was able to see the sentinels, even when they hid themselves from mortal eyes, had made it easier to guard her. But it was also this ability that had made her a target of those below.

 

Her smile faded when she saw Adam's face. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Her mother stiffened, she understood the danger her daughter was in, even though she didn't have the same powers. Alli kept nothing from her mother and had insisted on Adam telling her everything.

 

"That man you met outside, Kristopher?" Adam didn't believe in shielding the mortals from knowledge. It was power and helped them prepare for any attack. Allison nodded. "Not human. It is of the below. It was sent for you."

 

The Iraheta women both gasped, but they were made of stern stuff and Allison asked, "Why didn't you say something?"

 

Adam shrugged, "It would have done nothing but give it an advantage. I did not want to cause a scene. It might have tried to do something."

 

Alli shook her head, "That wasn't smart. I know its name now."

 

Adam smiled proudly at her. She was a truly exceptional mortal. "Yes, and that is very unusual. That the demon spoke its name was peculiar and my brothers have asked me to track it down. This may be a very important day for the above world."

 

"What about my daughter?" The instinct of a mother prompted Mrs. Iraheta to ask urgently.

 

Adam put his arms around Allison, smiling, "You know I would never leave you without protection." The doorbell chimed and he released her with a squeeze and went to answer it.

 

David stood there with a half smile on his face. "You called for back-up?"

 

Adam grinned at him and hugged him hard. "It is so good to see you! It has been a long time."

 

David nodded, his reply muffled against Adam's chest, "Too many years, brother. Now, please can you let me breathe?"

The laugh was low and affectionate, "Come and meet Allison. Then I must go. I have a demon to track." He tugged him inside and called to Mrs. Iraheta and Allison, "Ladies, come and meet your new guardian." They came out of the kitchen, wary and looking a little scared. Mrs. Iraheta relaxed immediately when she saw the youthful looking angel. Allison looked like someone had hit her over the head with an extremely large mallet. Adam smiled to himself. His mortal would be in very good hands. It was the younger angel who would probably be in a little trouble. Allison had fallen head over heels at the sight of David. It was a pity that he would miss all the fun.

 

I am all the days   
that you choose to ignore

You are all I need

 

Kristopher had been re-conditioned. He was still aching and bruised and bloodied. The Creator believed in beating the feeling out of the below brethren. Kristopher had been tied to a stake and the skin from his back peeled in strips, laid back on raw flesh, allowed to heal and then stripped again. Daniel and Michael had been his chastisers. They took no pleasure in their duty. There was no gratification to be felt, only the constant pulse of pain.

 

He was himself once more and back out on assignment. The mortal female was still at the top of his list and he lingered outside the large building he had seen her enter days before. He blended in with the walls and shadows and watched. She came out towards dusk, an older woman with her and another guardian. He wondered what had happened to the angel he had encountered before. It was a good thing that she had someone new with her, he would be less likely distracted by the other. And there, creeping into the back of his mind, tickling his brain were those things…feelings again. Re-conditioning appeared to have failed at the mere thought of the above animal.

 

He stepped forward, out of the shade and was pulled back by a hand. He looked down, dark tipped fingers held his forearm and his eyes moved up to the face that had been embedded in his memory for the past several days. "Stop."

 

The angel's voice rang in his head like a bell, it resonated right down into the part of him that the Creator called a soul but he had never been sure existed. Until this moment. For the sight of this creature called to him, drew him in and for the first time in his long life he felt his heart beat. Only once, but a beat of an organ that should not exist, had never worked.

 

"Adam." The angel's name sounded like an oath, both curse and blessing and Kris felt the shiver pass through him and echo through the sentinel. Their reaction to one another was mutual, it seemed.

 

"Why have you come back, beast?" The question wasn't accusing, it was curious and the tilt of the dark head suggested an inquisitive rather than aggressive attitude. Kristopher was unused to angels waiting before attacking. It made him nervous, unsure.

 

"I have my orders, angel. I live to serve and obey my Creator." The other still did not move to strike and Kristopher waited.

 

"What if I told you that you would not have to return below? That you could join me, and my brethren, in the above?" The softly spoken question shook Kristopher to the core. That long-dead muscle in his chest throbbed again, beat twice, three times, and he felt the cold that resided as a constant companion start receding.

 

"Why would I want to come above? My family, my brothers, they are all of the below. What is above that would make me want to come with you?" He was afraid of the answer. The angel appeared uncertain too. Angels and demons were not supposed to talk to one another, let alone negotiate for defection. But something held him in place and it was not the other's hand on his arm or the size of the body blocking his escape.

 

"I offer you freedom." The envy of the below brethren, this was a most truly wondrous prospect. And completely unheard of.

 

"You still answer to your master, angel. There is no true freedom anywhere." He stood his ground as the other moved closer, once more evading his defenses and piercing the space that was his own. He didn't understand what made this one different but something inside him had changed, altered. It made him less than what he was before and something more.

 

"It was one of my brothers, a leader if you will, that offered this to you. He sent me to find you. He thinks that you are special." The neutral tone suggested that the other thought him not quite as special. Kristopher could deal with that kind of disdain. It made things feel normal. There was that word again…feel. He had never been in a situation like this, where his first instinct instead of standing his ground, was to flee. He felt itchy, a stranger in his own skin.

 

"Why would the angels offer a demon safe haven?" He sounded as he felt, suspicious and surly and shaken. The angel moved closer, its body heat scorching Kristopher's torso. He could feel the other's heartbeat and it sounded like thunder in his ears. He looked up and met the sentinel's eyes, opened his mouth to speak and fell silent when a blistering hot palm covered his lips.

 

"Hush. I want to listen." The angel bent its head, pressed its ear against Kristopher's chest and whispered, "I hear your heart beat. How is this possible?" Its voice was low and filled with a kind of joyful awe. Even bent so low against him, positioned like a comma against his breast, the angel was beautiful and wonderful and Kristopher could feel the lub-dub of his long-dead heart pick up the pace.

 

"I don't know." His voice was ragged, edgy and he tensed his muscles, ready to run. The other just leaned forward, nose pushed against the bone of his sternum and breathed, inhaled and immediately there was a sense of light, of floating and he swallowed, throat dry and scratchy.

 

"I think that you were meant to meet me, spawn. I think I was left here, in this now, to save you." That voice rocked him, enveloped him, sucked at him until he could feel his will eroded piece by piece. But he had not survived this long by being weak and he placed his hands on either side of the angel's head, fingers dug into silk smooth hair and warm scalp.

 

"Let me free." He could hear his command from a distance, but the angel was not about to let him go. Kristopher's last memory was the appearance of the animal's fangs and their stabbing his chest, latching on and drawing hard. He yelped in pain but it passed quickly and he was overtaken by a sense of euphoria so profound that he barely noticed the angel's arms go around him, pull him in and hold him up as it fed. His last thought before he sank beneath a tidal wave of sensation was that if his existence was to be snuffed out this night, he was being dispatched in way that was both sacred and profane.

 

And then he was taken in by the fire and the heat and he surrendered.

 

Countergambit

You are all I need   
I'm in the middle of your picture  
Lying in the reeds

 

Adam waited for the demon to wake. He had been stunned at how quickly the beast had succumbed. Normally he would have drained the spawn and left it to disintegrate in the air, but he had taken just enough to render it unconscious.

 

He had contacted Matthew and Megan who had instructed him to take the creature to his rooms and wait for further instruction. For some reason, the demon looked beautiful in his bed. It was designed to appeal to the mortal eye but Adam found his own gaze tracing the lines of muscle and sinew and bone, and he felt a warmth in his soul that had nothing to do with the heat of above.

 

The short hair, tipped by sunlight, the straight nose and noble brow and the mouth… Adam was riveted by the shape of the beast's mouth. The upper lip was thin, but curved and the lower full and inviting. He forced himself to look away, to stop obsessing about how that mouth would taste, how that lip would quiver if he took it and sank his fangs in. It was disturbing and erotic and terrifying and Adam felt his body heat rising, all-encompassing. He had a brief moment of panic. This was not possible. The only time an angel's body reacted this way, to his knowledge anyway, was in the mating cycle, on recognition of a mate. And that was simply impossible. Angels and demons were enemies and that situation had existed for thousands of years. The thought of them mating was an abomination.

 

The demon moaned, rolled over on to its back, hands splayed out, palms up and open and defenseless. In its sleep, it felt safe with Adam and that, of all the strange things that had happened this day, was the most bizarre. Even subconsciously, the demon should have been aware of the peril it was in. But the proof was lying there on his bed, exposed, unguarded and utterly irresistible.

 

Adam crept closer to the bed, hand outstretched, finger-tips just touching the spawn's fingers. Instantly, he felt the ice of below engulf him, try to take him over and he fell back with a gasp. Once he had stopped touching the demon, the cold receded and he moved nearer again. This was perhaps the reason for the beast not waking. He argued a little with himself and came to the conclusion that he needed at least to try to bring the demon back to consciousness.

 

He sat on the edge of the bed, hip against the hand of the spawn, immediately feeling the wintry bite move through his veins. The heat that had built up within him fought against it and slowly forced it back. Next he put a big palm on the back of the beast's neck and pulled it up and into his arms. He felt the breath leave his body as spears of frost pierced him. The below was not going to let its minion go without a fight.

 

The demon's head found purchase in the curve of Adam's neck and he paused to reflect at how right it felt. It moaned, pain-filled and Adam hurt to hear it. He didn't understand everything that was happening, but he knew that he didn't want the demon to be in pain. Ever. He put that thought aside, it was too complicated already, this situation, and he needed to keep his over-heated emotions out of it as much as possible.

 

"Kristopher." He used the name he had been given, the true name of the demon and it groaned again, moved closer, seeking the flame that seemed to have overwhelmed Adam's body. The cold was still trying to break through but Adam's resistance held firm. He pushed at it and it fell back, ebbed like a tide and Adam's fire followed it right into the heart of the demon. Kristopher screamed, head thrown back and every muscle seizing and shaking.

 

Its body suddenly jerked back and it was all Adam could do to hold on. The sound coming out of the beast's mouth was vile and unholy and its mouth gaped open and its fangs were bared. He tightened his grip, one arm braced around the demon's back and the other clenched at its neck. He forced its head closer, until he could feel the icy breath gusting from its mouth.

 

"Kristopher." His voice was urgent and the spawn's eyes snapped open. Adam could see that several blood vessels had burst and its eyes were pools of deep brown pain and scarlet stars.

 

"Help me." Kristopher begged.

 

Adam had never felt more useless, more helpless in his life and he shook his head. "I don't know what to do." Those eyes widened and its mouth worked silently, fangs cutting at that lower lip, shredding the sensitive skin. And suddenly, Adam knew what he had to do.

 

He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to the demon's. He tasted blood and winter and a bone-chilling fear that he knew he had to get rid of. The spawn's mouth opened and granted entrance and the world fell away.

 

I am a moth   
who just wants to share your light

 

Kristopher woke to molten fire burning through his veins. He arched up off the bed, screaming in agony. He felt warmth wrapped around him and compared to the blaze that was consuming him from within, it was a shelter that he welcomed. He tried to climb into the skin of the animal that held him.

 

"Kristopher. You need to calm down." The angel's voice was soft, shaky and it gave him pause. He opened his eyes and looked up into the endless depths of blue. The sentinel didn't loosen its grip but it was focused on him.

 

"It burns!" Kristopher writhed in pain and the angel forced him back down, covered his body with its own.

 

"Remain calm. The pain will pass." The sure tone finally registered with him and he found himself relaxing, muscles unclenching and the hurt starting to fade.

 

"Adam." He felt his heart beating, strong and steady and his face twisted in wonder. "I can feel my heart. It works."

 

The angel smiled, weary but triumphant. "It would seem that for a demon to gain a beating heart involves a trial by flame and ice. It was extremely difficult to watch."

 

"You saved me. I could feel you with me when the cold tried to take me back." His voice was hushed, reverent.

 

That lovely face stared down and the angel's mouth spread in a sweet smile once more, "I was not going to let you go back there. Not after all I had to deal with to get you here."

 

Kristopher asked, "What have you done? What did you do? How did this happen?" The questions burst out of him and the guardian shook its head.

 

"I will try to answer all your questions once I have fed. All of this struggle has tired me." Kristopher could see the exhaustion shading those bright blue eyes and the lines pulling the sides of the angel's mouth down.

 

He held up his wrist, "Feed from me." His voice cracked a little.

 

The angel's eyes widened and then softened, "Thank you, but I cannot. I am not sure what would happen if I were to drink from you again. What courses through your veins now is new life, both above and below and I could die if I fed from you."

 

Kristopher stared at Adam. "What do you mean 'new life'? I am still the same, except I feel a lot warmer than I used to…" He paused, "Oh, yes, and my heart is beating for the first time in centuries." His eye met Adam's, warm, wry and a little scared, "And I feel. Dear God, how I feel."

 

The angel made to move away but Kristopher was not quite ready to relinquish his prize. "I need to feed, spawn. Let me go. Please." Just that one word was breaking every protocol that had existed between their kinds for as long as memory served.

 

Kristopher reluctantly released the other, who jumped up and left the room. He made to follow it but found his legs were too weak and they folded under him, sending him to a graceless sprawl on the carpet. He hated feeling like a stranger in his own body so decided to do an inspection of his own.

 

He sat in the lotus position, closed his eyes and turned his third eye inward. The extra sense sped through his veins, paused at the unfamiliar sound of his heart pounding steadily and headed down into his bowels, lungs, kidneys. Astonishingly, everything was working. To all intents and purposes he was one of two things, either a mortal or an angel. Being a mortal was going to make things very difficult. He sincerely hoped that he was not. He liked being something more than human.

 

"So you're the demon Adam has adopted." Kristopher's eyes sprang open at the strange voice. The angel standing in the doorway was smiling at him so he didn't feel threatened.

 

"I…" Kristopher wasn't sure what to say so he shut up and waited.

 

Angels were inquisitive creatures so it wasn't long before the new arrival came into the room and sank down in front of him. Its eyes were hazel and laughing and its hair a sort of messy red-brown. It wasn't as beautiful as Adam but it was appealing in its own way.

 

"I am David." The guardian held out its hand and Kristopher stared at it. The fingers waggled a bit impatiently and he placed his hand cautiously in the other's.

 

"Kristopher." His voice sounded funny, scratchy like he'd been screaming for a long time. He still wasn't sure what had happened to him, but he had a strange feeling that it involved Adam and pain, and that shouldn't be something that made his whole body tingle.

 

"Yes, I know who you are, spawn." David's smile was slightly feral, fangs showing and Kristopher re-assessed the danger that he might be in. "Adam is fascinated with you. I just wanted to make sure my friend wasn't in over his head." That scruffy head tipped to one side as the angel considered him. "I can see the appeal, just not sure you're worth all the trouble you're going to be for him."

 

"What…" Kristopher had to clear his throat again, it was raw and it hurt to speak, "What do you mean, trouble? I do not want to cause Adam any trouble."

 

The animal shook its head, "Oh, I don't think it's going to be all your fault. Adam is a big boy, he's taken you in and just about killed himself in the process of keeping you alive." It sniffed, "I hope you take no offence when I tell you that it would be much easier for everyone if you had died."

 

The thought of all that beauty not being in the world any longer made Kristopher feel ill. "I would rather die than hurt Adam." With that, Kristopher started to think of the angel as 'he' rather than 'it'. He felt his newly beating heart jump and stutter and knew that he could never go back, never return to the below. He was something, someone new, different and all dependent on Adam.

 

"David, stop trying to intimidate it." Adam's soft remonstration told Kristopher that he had not yet reached the same conclusions as he had. He looked closely at Adam and saw that his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright.

 

"Did you feed?" Kristopher's question was abrupt, urgent, he wanted Adam to be alright and one dark eyebrow rose in inquiry.

 

"I did, thank you." Adam's mouth curved in a smile and he nodded to David, "Matthew is waiting for you. He said something about going to assist David. Apparently Allison terrifies him."

 

The other angel stood up, "I hope she doesn't break my guy." He grinned at Adam, "I'd better go and rescue him." David turned to look at Kristopher again. "Don't forget what I said, spawn. I'll be watching you." He clapped Adam on the shoulder and left, whistling.

 

Adam peered at Kristopher, who was still sitting on the floor, "Do I want to know what that was about?"

 

Kristopher shook his head, "Nothing really, just your friend looking out for you. He was concerned that you were in danger from me."

 

Adam tipped his head to one side, "Am I?"

 

Kristopher got to his feet and walked towards him. When he was pressed up close against the heat of Adam's body he whispered, "Never." He reached out, touched the tip of his finger to the back of Adam's hand and started tracing the line from hand to wrist to elbow to shoulder. When he reached his neck, he pressed lightly at the pulse battering the soft skin there and Adam gave a little moan.

 

"What are you doing, demon?" Adam's voice hitched, was slightly breathless and Kristopher was suddenly impatient.

 

"I am touching you. And my name is Kristopher." He continued his exploration, moving up the long slope of Adam's neck to the paper thin fabric of his cheek.

 

"I know what your name is, spawn, I merely choose not to use it too often. I would not want you thinking that you are …" His breath faltered and Kristopher smiled a little to himself. Adam was not immune.

 

"Say it. Use my name. I am not a beast, I am a person, an immortal, as real as you are." He was determined to make Adam accept him, admit he was more than merely a despised demon.

 

The angel's eyes closed, eyelashes long and dark against pale cheeks and Kristopher's finger moved to the ebony line, feeling them flutter against the heated skin of his fingertip. "If that will make you stop touching me, then fine, Kristopher, are you now satisfied?" Those impossibly blue eyes opened again and gazed at him.

 

"Not even close." Kristopher wasn't sure what was happening to him but all he knew was the urge to climb inside Adam's skin, wrap himself in his heated embrace and lose himself forever. He put his hand behind Adam's neck and pushed himself up to reach his mouth. He compelled him to respond to his kiss with tongue and lips and for a moment, thought he had failed. In the next heartbeat he was hauled up into Adam's arms, breast to breast and mouth to mouth and then he felt the sting of teeth cutting his lip. He reveled in the small injury and allowed his own fangs to catch the full lower lip of the mouth consuming his.

 

The instant their blood mingled, the universe exploded. They were wrenched from each other and flung to the far ends of the room, slamming against the walls and crumpling to the floor. Kristopher lay dazed, he was still weak from the blood loss earlier. He started crawling towards Adam who lay unmoving.

 

"Adam! Angel! Wake up!" He reached the other and shook his shoulder, relieved when greeted with a groan.

 

"What in the name of all that is holy was that?" Adam struggled to sit up and reluctantly accepted Kristopher's hand. They leaned against the wall and each other and surveyed the bedroom. It looked as though a meteor had hit the ground where they were standing, a crater deep and black and smoking had appeared in the floor.

 

Kristopher was terrified. This whole day had been one surreal experience after another and his newly working organs were just not ready to deal with all of the excitement. He dropped his head onto Adam's shoulder and whispered, "I think I'm going to pass…" And all went dark.

 

Middlegame

I'm just an insect   
trying to get out of the night

 

Adam started freaking out when Kristopher's body went limp and slack against his. "Kristopher! Demon!" He had a moment of realization that his first thought was to use his name first and filed that away for another time. Right now he was concerned at the pallor of the demon lying unconscious across his lap. His hand went to the choppy hair and stroked it gently.

 

"What on God's green earth..?" Matthew appeared in the doorway and stared at the hole in the floor. "What happened?" Megan peered over his shoulder from behind.

 

Adam shook his head, hand never leaving the caressing motion on Kristopher's head. "I have no idea. Once second we were kiss…" His voice trailed off and he flushed at the expression on his two friends' faces. "That might not have been the smartest thing I have done." His mouth twisted in derision.

 

"Well, what's done is done." Megan's tone was brisk as she walked over to them. "Now all we need to figure out, what exactly was done. And can it be undone?" Her eyes were fierce on him, "What happened just before the blast?"

 

Adam looked up at her, "We were kissing and then his fangs cut my lip and I think mine cut his. Then…bang." He shrugged and noticed that Matthew had an expression on his face that looked like a cross between horror and delight. "What is it, Matthew? Do you know what caused this?"

 

Matthew joined them and crouched down next to Adam, hand reaching out to pet Kristopher. Adam growled in possession and his teeth were bared in aggression. Megan gasped in shock, but Matthew smiled.

 

"It appears that your blood has joined. It is an ancient form of the mating ritual. It normally happens a little later in a joining, naturally, but it would seem that the universe is impatient for the two of you to move forward quickly. No time for romance." The smirk on Matthew's face made Adam want to smack it off and he was about to bite the hand that still stroked Kristopher's arm.

 

"Stop touching him." Adam barely recognized his own voice and Matthew pulled away swiftly.

 

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself. It's really rather gorgeous, isn't it?" Matthew stared down at Kristopher and Adam did not like the desire in his brother's eyes.

 

"Mine." That one word was feral and snarling and warning and Megan rested her hand on Matthew's arm.

 

"They need to be alone. The mating must be completed." She looked a little frightened. "I am not sure what this all means, dearest, but it does appear that the cosmos has a plan for you and your demon."

 

"His name is Kristopher." Adam gritted it out between clenched teeth as he tried to control the urge to either throw Matthew physically from the room or pounce on Kristopher and make him his.

 

"Of course it is." She nodded, faintly patronizing, and then turned to Matthew, "It's time to leave." He trailed after her and turned at the door to look at them one more time.

 

"I am envious of your prize. But not of the trials you surely must face." His face was solemn, thoughtful. "I will consult with the council. Perhaps they will know what this" he waved his hand at them, "all means." He pulled the door shut behind him and left them alone.

 

Kristopher was still not conscious, but Adam could see that he needed to feed, was weak from hunger. They had shared blood and were now bonded, according to Matthew, so it should do no harm to feed him himself. He pressed his wrist to his mouth and bit down, breaking the skin and tasting the iron of his blood. He rolled Kristopher over so that he was sprawled on his back, head resting on Adam's thighs and put his wrist to that supple mouth. He yelped in pain as he latched on, drawing deeply.

 

He dropped his head back against the wall, closed his eyes and listened to the wet, sucking sounds of feeding. It should not have been erotic, but he discovered that his body had other ideas. His hips rolled and he felt his core temperature rising. He opened his eyes again and met hot brown eyes. Kristopher's mouth still worked on his wrist but the urgency had passed. The feeding turned sensual and he couldn't tear his gaze away from the mouth that suckled at his pulse.

 

"Kristopher. Stop. That is enough." He could not afford to give too much, he had only just replenished himself. Kristopher whined a little as Adam tugged his hand away, lips releasing with a pop. Adam was trying to fight the imperative that urged him to take and fuck and seal his ownership. He was civilized. This kind of mating hearkened back to millennia before, when they were primitive and still learning. Perhaps that primal part of them had never really left.

 

"Want." The low, heated tone made Adam twist a little. Kristopher stayed still though, sprawled across his legs like a sacrifice. Adam had never learned temperance and if Matthew was right and he, Kristopher was his mate, then he was entitled to complete the mating.

 

"We need to talk." He had to get control of this fire inside him. Control was vital to the angels, one of the things that separated them from the demons. But it was being shredded at the sight of the demon banquet in front of him. The Creator had built this one with Adam in mind and he fought the need that threatened to engulf him.

 

"Talk later. Fuck now." The guttural voice indicated that whatever internal struggle Adam was having, Kristopher was facing the same.

 

"No. We can't. I need to tell you what my brother, Matthew told me." Adam was trying not to focus on the open mouth, full lower lip, perfect skin, and was failing miserably.

 

"I am burning from the inside. I need you." Kristopher was curling his body around Adam's legs, his face turning into the curve of Adam's thigh. He could feel hot breath through the thin material of his pants and it made him quiver.

 

"You need to listen. Before you say one more thing, do one more thing. Matthew thinks we might have mated." Adam rushed the words out almost running them together in a single string of syllables because Kristopher was distracting and desirable and he was about to break Adam completely.

 

Kristopher's eyes were like deep holes in his face as he stared at Adam again, "That explains the heat then."

 

Adam nearly laughed. Kristopher seemed calmer than he had been at the revelation. "Yes, the heat."

 

Kristopher's dark eyes narrowed again and he turned his mouth to the skin bared just above Adam's waistline. "Stop over-thinking this right now, angel. The imperative of the mating is to fuck. Once we're done, then we can talk and be rational. Right now, all I want is your hands on me and your cock in me. I promise to be suitably horrified by the situation afterwards."

 

Adam snapped. There was only so much he could take, but that mouth on his skin and those words, they shattered the last bit of his restraint. In a second he had Kristopher spread beneath him and he feasted. Demon-kind were known for their excesses and the angels for their discipline. This demon though had eroded Adam's control with a few well-chosen words and well-placed kisses.

 

He almost shredded Kristopher's shirt as he wrestled it from his body. Kristopher wasn't lying still either, he was busy with the soft fabric of Adam's t-shirt, shoving it up to his neck and then pushing it further up and off. They fell on each other again, chest to chest, skin truly touching for the first time and Adam thought he was going to scream. In all his existence, he had never felt so much, burned so hot, wanted so fiercely.

 

He bent down and took Kristopher's mouth captive. He pierced through those lips to the scorching heat of his mouth. Their tongues battled for dominance and eventually Adam settled it by using his teeth on that bottom lip that endlessly fascinated him. "Stop. Let me show you." His voice was rough with desire but he knew what to do and as enthusiastic as Kristopher was, he was ignorant of this, and it showed.

 

Kristopher ceased moving and lay back on the floor, bare-chested, breathing heavily and very obviously aroused. Adam couldn't take his eyes off him.

 

"Don't just look. Touch. Fuck, please just touch." The pleading tone galvanized Adam into action again and he made short work of their pants and underwear. Then he stopped again and just stared, covetous eyes running the length of that perfect body. Lean and muscled and smooth and beautiful and his.

 

"I'm not letting you go after this." He heard his voice as if through honey, muted, slow and sweet. "I don't care if your Creator wants you back, you're mine now. And I won't give you up." He could hear the words and they sounded like both threat and everlasting vow.

 

The sound of a gong echoed through the room, the air suddenly felt weighted and a deep voice proclaimed, "As you have sworn it, so it must be." The voice of the Maker had not been heard in centuries but Adam still recognized it.

 

"My Lord." He froze and drew his mate up and into his arms, cradling him protectively.

 

"Adam. Release the demon. Let him stand before me." That deep voice reverberated through the room and Adam was terrified. He had sworn to fight the demons' Creator for his mate, but had not expected that he might have to do the same here. He stood up and pulled Kristopher up with him, arm still curled tightly across his shoulders, Kristopher's arm wound around his waist. He could feel the shaking beside him and first instinct was to comfort. He had to focus on the Maker though.

 

"We are mates, my Lord. I will not let him return to the below. He was made for me and I for him and I know that it shouldn't be possible, but it is." He was desperate to explain, assure, convince.

 

"Demon. Step forward. Do you cower behind my angel because you are afraid or are you ashamed?" The Maker's voice was slightly amused and Adam did not know what to make of it.

 

Kristopher slipped from his grasp and stepped away from Adam. "I am not ashamed, my Lord. I am afraid though. I have found my mate here in the above and am fearful that you will not let us be together. I know that the Creator would never let this stand, but I have heard that the above is more tolerant, kinder."

 

A low chuckle resounded through the room. "Adam, my child, I can see why this one fascinated you so. It is a lovely creature indeed."

 

Adam moved up behind Kristopher and rested a hand on his shoulder. "His name is Kristopher, he is a male, my Lord, and not an 'it'. I would ask that you please note that." He held his breath. That had been too close to chastising his Maker.

 

"You defend your mate, my child. I would not punish you for that." The tone was fond, the words loving. "I will intercede with your Creator on your behalf, Kristopher." The mild emphasis on the name made Adam grin a little. "I think that perhaps this might lead to a truce between the above and the below. Or at least, a détente." The Maker sounded a little wistful, "It would be good to have no fighting for a while. We have spent too much time trying to outwit each other and too little time speculating on how to help one another. Perhaps this is a sign for us to negotiate ceasefire and return to the brotherhood all enjoyed so long ago."

 

The gong sounded once more and the pressure in the room eased. The Maker was gone.

 

Kristopher turned around and faced Adam, his face white and strained, "Does that mean..?"

 

Adam tugged and his mate fell into his arms. "It means that our Maker has given us his blessing. For now, that is all we know and that is enough."

 

Kristopher lifted his head, his eyes were somber. "But what if the Creator…?"

 

Adam pressed his lips to Kristopher's, "Stop worrying about it. It is out of our hands now." Just like that, the conflagration erupted again and engulfed them. The mating ritual had to be completed and this time, would not be denied.

 

I only stick with you   
because there are no others

 

Kristopher felt as though he was encased by flame. Adam's body was a wall of scorching flesh crushed against his and he thought that he might melt and be absorbed into his skin.

 

"I…can't breathe…" When Kristopher tried to inhale, the air seared his throat.

 

"Let me help you with that." The low, sultry voice soothed him and then that supple mouth met his again. What passed between them was not so much air as ice and cold and he found the relief he was seeking.

 

"How..?" Kristopher's mind was spinning in dizzy circles. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Too much was happening, had happened already and yet all he wanted was Adam. Adam's mouth. Adam's hands. Adam's body. He felt his skin moving, rattling across his bones in an effort to reach Adam. His body knew what it needed and was prepared to take it without his permission.

 

"Stop talking, demon. We are in such pain because the ritual has not been completed and our nature does not like being thwarted." Adam's mouth moved down to Kristopher's neck, lips nibbling and sucking and he could feel his blood singing through his veins, frantic to meet with Adam's. Just before Adam's fangs sank into the petal-soft skin just above his jugular vein, he thought, This is going to hurt.

 

And it did, but the pleasure mingling with the pain made his body swell and roll and everything inside him responded to the mating call of Adam's mouth. He grabbed one of Adam's hands and turned it, wrist facing up and bit down. His body arched up, almost dislodging Adam, who had to grab hold hard with his free hand.

 

"I need…" Kristopher wasn't quite sure what he was asking for, but Adam seemed confident so he allowed himself to be moved and moulded and he was clay beneath Adam's urgent fingers. They both pulled away at the same time, mouths stained with the other's blood and bodies clenched with craving.

 

"I know what you need." Adam's whisper was husky, sounding like he had been screaming for hours. "Will you let me give it to you?"

 

He was asking permission for something that Kristopher had agreed to hours ago, "You said it, angel, stop talking. I want the ache to stop and will do whatever it takes." He stared straight into those azure eyes and saw the heavens unfold before him. "I want to feel you moving in me. I want to claim you and have you claim me."

 

Adam's eyes changed, one moment they were the colour of the sky at midday and the next, they were midnight dark and shining brighter than any star. "Once we do this, we are joined forever."

 

"Yes." Kristopher couldn't think of anything he wanted more. "Take." Perhaps one syllable words would do the trick. Words breathed in a voice cracked with desire, hoarse with lust and broken with something that could possibly turn out to be love. One day..

 

Those long fingers stroked down his chest, tracing the lines of his ribs in a zigzag pattern from right to left. They made their way to the soft skin just above his hip bone and pressed in, finding the pulse that jumped beneath. They moved across the flat plane of his belly scratching lightly at the downy hair that mapped a path to his cock. Adam rolled his eyes up to peer at Kristopher from beneath night-black lashes and that mouth was bowed in a wicked grin that posed no good for Kristopher's already wrecked composure.

 

"I like the way you feel beneath me, warm and pliant and willing." Adam rubbed his long body up against Kristopher in a delicious, maddening friction that made him whimper.

 

"I like the way you smell, all sweat and heat and man and musk." Adam bent his head and nosed that pliable skin just below his waistline, just before the jut of Kristopher's prick. He felt Adam lick gently, felt himself quiver beneath him.

 

"I like the way you look at me, desperate and frantic and wanting." He tilted his head to one side, rested his cheek on Kristopher's thigh. His eyes were dark blue and passionate.

 

"I suppose that means I like everything about you, spawn." His mouth curled in a sweet smile.

 

Kristopher corrected him, his voice jagged with hunger. "Not spawn or demon. Mate." Adam smiled wider and bent his head again, tongue already busy, running a long, slow, wet stripe up the side of Kristopher's cock. He could feel the shiver running the length of his entire body as he felt the measured friction on that sensitive skin.

 

"Mm. Mate. That has a nice ring to it." The sly tone was belied by the trembling hand that grasped him and stroked as his mouth pressed down at the base of his penis.

 

Kristopher flung his head back, body bowing up from the floor in an agonized spasm. "Adam…I can't…it's too much."

 

Adam kept at his relentless pace, pulling, stroking, pumping and Kristopher felt his body shuddering, every muscle seizing as he came. His cry was more a groan than a shout but Adam wrung everything from him with determined hands and busy mouth.

 

You are all I need

 

"I am too old for fucking on the floor." Adam announced this as he looked up at Kristopher. He made a mental note of the gorgeous picture his mate presented, wrecked and ravished and wanton. He grinned at Kristopher's whiny tone when he stood up and pulled him up too. "I want to finish this in bed." He declared.

 

Kristopher's eyes flew open and he looked panicked, "Finish? We're not finished?" He paled and Adam laughed as he tugged him down on the soft mattress. He was going to have a lot of fun teaching his mate the joys of sex and making love and fucking. All very distinct and different activities.

 

"Nowhere near finished, lover." He dragged Kristopher into his arms and held him tightly. "But don't worry, I need a little time to recover. You're quite a potent package."

 

Kristopher relaxed and snuggled in, his body aligning perfectly with Adam's, as though created for this space alone. Adam reflected on this as he felt Kristopher melting into him, already asleep. This was already so complicated, but the open, giving, generous nature of his mate had surprised him. His preconceptions about demon-kind would have to change. After a short nap.

 

Upon waking Adam was startled to find Kristopher entwined around him like ivy. One leg was thrust between his thighs, the arch of his foot finding the curve of Adam's calf. His arms were around him, warm bands of flesh that held him close, made him feel complete and safe and right. Kristopher's head was tucked beneath Adam's chin, warm breath puffing damply against his throat. Adam tried to move but Kris clung like a limpet and whimpered and mumbled.

 

"Kristopher, my arm is numb, you need to move." Adam's voice was tinged with weariness and he shoved lightly at the warm body curled around him. He smiled to himself as Kristopher pressed his face closer, mouth opened in his sleep and he latched on and sucked at the tendon that was stretched tight in Adam's neck.

 

"Don't want to move." His soft mutter made Adam smile even more and then he yelped in pain as Kristopher bit down and sank fangs deeply.

 

"Fuck! You little shit! That hurts!" He dug his fingers into the short brown hair and tugged Kristopher's head back, glaring down at him. The sleepy, unrepentant grin that greeted him made him stop. "You are far too uncivilized, demon. It is only polite to ask before you feed." His remonstration was accompanied by an angry jerk of his hand.

 

"Tasty." That lovely mouth was spread in a wide smirk that Adam couldn't decide to kiss or smack. He settled for the kiss. Instantly they were pulled back under a tidal wave of emotion.

 

The fever rolled through them, sweeping any thought of resistance away in a furnace of desire. Adam discovered that if he sucked lightly at the base of Kristopher's spine, the other would squirm and moan and push up and back and begged in a broken litany of whimpers.

 

He found the soft skin behind his knee was so sensitive that if he pressed with tongue and lips it set an earthquake of shivers and groans in motion.

 

And then there was that hard, sweet, salty spot that moved with a life of its own and begged for Adam's undivided attention. He devoted himself to satisfying that desire with hot mouth and soft lips and humming throat and made Kristopher scream and weep and dissolve into a warm heap of skin and bone and tissue that belonged utterly to him.

 

Kristopher lay spent and destroyed and sighed, "I'm awake now. What was it you wanted?"

 

The sly humour made Adam laugh and lunge upwards, covering his mate's body with his. "I am going to have to teach you manners, spawn."

 

The name was affectionate and Kristopher opened his eyes, smiling, "I think you need some of the uncivilized demon-kind in your life, angel. You're far too perfect and righteous and boring." He rolled suddenly, trapping Adam beneath a surprisingly strong body. "Let me teach you about the crude spawn and how we mate."

 

Adam was entranced. This playful side was new and delightful and it made him even more attracted to the demon that had become his mate. He lay open, hands by his head, ready and willing. "So, teach me then." And Kristopher took him.

You are all I need

 

Kristopher had discovered that he liked Adam. Desire for him aside, there was something about Adam that made him feel special and worthy. He wanted to make him laugh and shiver and set to his task with eagerness.

 

Adam was soft almost everywhere. Not flabby or flaccid but supple and pliable and Kristopher ran his hands up the side of the other's ribs, fingers rippling like he was playing a piano. The fact that Adam trembled when he did this gave him pause and he decided that he would have to discover all the ways that he could make Adam vibrate with pleasure.

 

Strong fingers stroked the yielding flesh where arms met breast, pressed down and massaged and Adam groaned in response. "You like that?" Kristopher whispered

 

"Um. Mm. Yeah, feels good." Adam opened his eyes and stared at him, "Carry on, please."

 

So he did. He sat up and explored that long lean body, searching out the spots behind the back of the knee or the bend of the hip or the base of the neck where Adam's breath would hitch and stutter. By the time he wrestled him over on to his stomach, Adam was limp and sated and moaning softly into the downy pillow beneath him. Then Kristopher started all over again, running hands down the row of bone that stood out slightly on his back, to the curve of his butt, down the length of strong legs to slender feet tipped in the same black ink of his fingers. A finger stroking the arch of a foot set Adam's body shaking again and Kristopher allowed a small grin to cross his lips. Power to one who was generally powerless was a heady thing indeed.

 

"Stop fucking teasing me, demon." The growl was made less effective by the whimper that followed when Kristopher bent down and put his lips at the graceful dip where spine met buttocks. The whimper became a grunt when he set his teeth on that skin and drew. Hard. "Fuck! That's going to leave a mark, you cannibal!" Adam jerked beneath him, but Kristopher held him down.

 

"Marking my territory. Just in case someone else wants to know who you belong to." The rumble of Kristopher's voice vibrated against the skin he had just suckled and Adam bucked back against him.

 

"Shit. Shit. Shit." The litany of curses indicated Adam's rapidly unraveling control and he started fighting against Kristopher's hands. "Let me up, let me go. I want…"

 

Kristopher knew what Adam wanted, but he wanted to give it to him, not be the recipient this time. "If I let you turn back over, you have to not take control. It's my turn to make you come." The shudder that was his mate's response let him know that whatever he was doing was working.

 

"I don't know if I can…" The devolving of Adam's speech told Kristopher that he was still in charge.

 

"Hold on." He rolled Adam's warm body back over again, limbs sprawling and wilted. He smiled down at the gorgeous picture presented before him. He wondered if Adam had ever been this vulnerable with anyone. Somehow, he thought not. "I like you like this. All malleable and obedient."

 

Adam opened one eye, trying for a glare but failing as his eyelid drooped closed again. "Finish what you started, spawn." His order lacked authority but as Kristopher was just as keen, he bent down to obey.

 

He ran his hot mouth up the length of Adam's cock, taking soft, gentle nips along the way, not enough to mark but enough to make his body jump with anticipation and nerves. His tongue swept the same line back down, and up again until he could fold his lips over the swollen tip. He tasted salt and sugar and spice and something uniquely Adam. His mouth knew what to do, and he sent his tongue on a foray into the unknown. The soft sweet of the foreskin led into the salt bite of the slit and tasted heaven and hell and everything forbidden and desired. His mouth knew to form suction and draw on the sensitive skin. The groans and cries told him that he was doing something right so he continued with suction and licking and swallow until he heard Adam shout and the saline taste of the sea flooded his mouth and his throat.

 

He heard Adam's voice from a distance, begging and swearing and promising the universe and he smiled to himself as he drained the last drops from him. He might have much to learn but he thought that perhaps he had handled himself adequately this time. He was an eager pupil, keen to be trained and he suspected Adam would be as eager to teach him.

 

"You taste like freedom." He looked up into dazed blue eyes, and saw eternity.

 

"You feel like salvation." The response was immediate and gratifying. At least he was not alone in the maelstrom.

 

And the sound of a gong resounded through the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Endgame

I'm in the middle of your picture

 

The wind rushed through, pressing down on them. Kristopher moved up and lay next to Adam against the pillows.

 

"I have spoken with the Creator." The slow warm voice of the Maker echoed in their heads.

 

"And?" Adam was impatient. He wanted to be alone with his mate. The Maker was interfering with his plans. And he discovered that he had many plans for Kristopher, newly formed, debauched and quite likely illegal in many lands.

 

"We have agreed to a temporary truce. Until we discover what the union between the two of you means for our races." The pause, the uncertainty made Adam wait for the next comment. "We are in the middle of something unprecedented. Something that has not occurred since the beginning of angelic memory. Demon and angel have not been united for millennia. The Creator and I will wait to see what the future will bring for us all."

 

Kristopher spoke up, "I heard a legend that once we were united. That the Creator left and took the demons with him."

 

A sigh swept through them, "We made many mistakes those eons ago. Perhaps this is the way the cosmos has decided to rectify matters. We do not know. It is all new and confusing and we will have to allow time for the meaning of it all to unfold."

 

Adam was unused to his Maker being unsure of anything. "So this mating, this union between Kristopher and I, it is not an abomination? We will not be torn apart?" To be mated and to then lose that mate was a fate that no angel or demon could bear to contemplate.

 

"I do not see the future, Adam. For now, you and your mate have my blessing and that of the Creator. Anything more, well, that is for the Alpha to know. Not either one of us."

 

"Thank you, my Lord." Adam tightened his arm around Kristopher who pressed close against him.

 

"I will leave you to continue…whatever it was you were busy with." The wry, amused voice boomed and then the air cleared.

 

Kristopher looked up at Adam. "That was…interesting." The urgent need for one another had passed, the mating was complete, and Adam was wondering what all this meant for them.

 

He sat up, "I want to go and check up on Allison." He turned to Kristopher, "Will you come with me?" Adam wanted to test out this fragile new truce. If the demonic compulsion had been removed, then Kristopher would not try to leech Allison of her powers and he could believe that this mating would succeed.

 

Kristopher stared at him, "Are you sure you want me there? I don't know…" His face was miserable. "What if I hurt her, or worse, hurt you?" His dark brown eyes were agonized. "It all seems unreal. Is it wise to go straight out and test the limits?"

 

Adam smiled, "We are mated. You could not hurt me even if you tried. As for Allison and your Creator's instructions, we have to find out how far to push, how much is changed, where the line has been drawn." He stroked long fingers down the soft cheek nearest him. "I don't want there to be any doubts or concerns with us." His mouth stretched wider as a thought occurred to him, "Besides, the two Davids are with her and I think that the three of us should be able to contain you, should you evidence any urges."

 

Kristopher's expression was nervous, but he got up from the bed and went to pull on his clothes, "I just don't want anything bad to happen. These past few hours have been…they've been everything to me. I have been given a gift, my body works properly for the first time in centuries, I have found my mate and been exposed to emotions. It's wonderful and terrifying and overwhelming and I don't want it all to be taken away again."

 

Adam walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him. "I understand. I am afraid too, but we have to know. We have to be sure. If you can't control the need to take from Allison, then we will have to go somewhere far away, so that you're never faced with that temptation again. Where there are few people."

 

Kristopher gaped at him, "You would do that? For me?"

 

Adam nodded, he couldn't believe that Kristopher doubted him, "Of course, we are mated. That means that we cannot be away from each other for too long and that we will need to feed one another regularly." He pulled Kristopher more securely against him and felt the other relax, his body melting against his. "Besides, now that I've had you, I told you, I'm not letting you go."

 

Kristopher leaned back a little and gazed up at him, "The feeling is mutual, just so you know."

 

Adam bent down and pressed warm, soft lips to Kristopher's, "I know. I can feel you in me."

 

Kristopher smirked, "Not yet you haven't."

 

The laugh escaped before Adam could stop it, his mate was a constant surprise, "We'll have to remedy that situation swiftly." He kissed him again, with tongue and teeth and spit and Kristopher just dissolved, utterly Adam's. Before things got too out of control again Adam moved away. "Enough. We had best get going."

 

Lying in the reeds

 

When Adam and Kristopher arrived at Allison's apartment, they heard shouting and rushed in, prepared to defend against whatever was causing the uproar. They stopped dead when they saw Allison standing between the two guardians, a hand on each chest. The taller David was red in the face and the other appeared on the verge of tears.

 

"What on earth is going on?" Adam yelled and there was instant silence. Allison took one look at him and threw herself into his arms.

 

"Thank God you're here!" She started sobbing and the two angels began talking and the noise level rose again until Kristopher thought his head might explode.

 

"Shut up!" Kristopher thought that it might be the surprise of a demon bellowing orders that brought the blessed quiet again. Adam smiled gratefully, petting the ruby red hair of the mortal in his arms.

 

"Would someone like to explain the reason for this racket?" Adam's voice was silky soft and lethal.

 

The two Davids looked at one another and opened their mouths but were beaten to it by Allison. "They are such girls! All I did was try to kiss Archie, maybe not so smart cause he's an angel but he's cute, so anyway, then he went and told other David and then other David started yelling at Archie and me and then Archie started shouting back at him and then I tried to tell my side of the story and say sorry, because, I'm not psychic and how was I supposed to smell that they were boyfriends and so then Archie started crying because David was yelling at him and then you came in."

 

She stopped for breath and tried to start again but was interrupted by Adam. "Thank you. Be quiet please." Kristopher grinned at the sulky turn the human's mouth took. "Why do you call David, Archie?" Of all the questions for Adam to have asked, this was the most random and Kristopher shook his head in despair. There were more important issues to be discussed.

 

"Well, I thought that it would get kind of confusing with two Davids around so I call Archie, Archie cause he's like my archangel, you know. Defender of the innocent, blah-di-blah." Allison watched Adam earnestly and Kristopher had to turn away to not let her see his attempt to hide his laugh. Mortals were highly emotional which tended to be highly entertaining. Case in point.

 

"I see." Kristopher spotted his mate's own attempt to control his grin and didn't dare catch his eye. He had never known just how amusing the angels could be. "David, would you care to explain?"

 

Both Davids started speaking at the same time and Adam held up a hand. "Please. One at a time."

 

David…Archie spoke first. "I was just minding my business, I mean looking after your human, when she um…tried to kiss me and I…um didn't let her, because, well, um, I'm with David."

 

The other David continued, "Because we have an open, honest relationship, David came to tell me about it and I got a little upset."

 

"Upset? Try went fucking nuts!" Allison glowered at him from the shelter of Adam's arms.

 

"Alli." Adam's voice was low and warning and the taller of the two Davids glared back at her.

 

"If you had bothered to ask before you tried to suck face with a stranger…" His tone was vicious and Kristopher was waiting for the slapping to start. It was all so school-girl childish and he started to laugh. He laughed so much that he had to stagger to the sofa in the middle of the room and tumble down, face first into the soft cushions, howling into their plushness. After the tension and intensity of the past few hours, this silliness cracked him open and spilled him out.

 

He felt the cushions give next to him and rolled into Adam, who was grinning at him. "Welcome to the wonderful world of mortal management." Which set him off all over again.

 

"It's not funny!" Allison stomped her foot and pointed at Archie. "Who ever heard of a gay angel?" Adam joined Kristopher this time as he roared with laughter. The other two angels stood silent for a bit and then David started sniggering.

 

"It is a little ridiculous." Archie sounded apologetic as he looked over at Allison. "Why can't there be gay angels anyway?" Kristopher leaned against Adam, nose and eyes running from all the laughing.

 

Adam, still laughing, informed the indignant human, "Actually, I prefer the male of the species as well."

 

Allison threw her hands up in disgust, "Well, fuck me! No one told me that angels were all gay!" Kristopher just closed his eyes and prayed for it all to stop before he cracked a rib.

 

"Please. Stop. I beg you." He held a weak hand up as he used Adam for leverage. "This is all a little bit too much for a newly mated demon."

 

"Mated?" Archie rushed over and hurled himself at Adam, landing in a pile across his and Kristopher's laps. "Well, oh my gosh, that's just amazing news. I mean, you're mated to Adam, right? Oh. Um, I should be hugging you." He awkwardly tried to reach Kristopher who waved him off with a smile. "Adam, you have a mate. That is the most, I mean, it's just…oh I can't. David!" His pleading gaze went to the angel watching the impromptu threesome.

 

David's mouth curved in a slow grin. "I think what my incoherent mate is saying is, congratulations. We're very happy for the both of you." He walked over, reached out a hand and shook Kristopher's when he responded. "I hope you remember our little chat from earlier today?"

 

Kristopher tipped his head to one side, found the slope of Adam's shoulder and smirked, "Was that before or after you threatened to kill me if I hurt Adam?" Adam stiffened next to him, and blue eyes narrowed in anger.

 

David held up his hands with a chuckle, "Shit stirrer! I just told him not to hurt you, Adam. Friendly warning, brother to spawn."

 

Adam settled back down and put an arm around Kristopher's shoulders, "It's all turned out a lot better than we could have hoped for." He looked over at Allison. "One of the reasons we came here was to check whether the compulsion that Kristopher has once he has received an assignment from the demon Creator, has gone." He focused on Kristopher again who squirmed a little under all the scrutiny. "How do you feel?"

 

Kristopher drew a deep breath, closed his eyes and sent his third eye inward again, looking for the threads that linked him to his mortal prey. The silver chains were snapped in many places, irreparably damaged and unable to tie him to the girl at all. It was as far as he had ever been from demon-kind. He glanced up at Adam. "The bond to Allison is not there anymore. No bond at all, not even to my demon brothers."

 

Adam spoke soothingly, "I am sure that you are still connected to your brothers in some way, don't worry. This is all so new, none of us know the consequences. Can you talk to any of them?" Kristopher appreciated the attempt to calm his panic.

 

Kristopher closed his eyes again and called to Daniel. His shoulders slumped in relief when he heard the irritated voice in his head. "What do you want, Kristopher? Things are a little crazy here at the moment, thanks to you and your angel lover!"

 

"I just wanted to check in with you, make sure that everything was alright." The annoyed sigh in his mind reassured him.

 

"Apart from all demons being recalled to the below for re-conditioning, it's all just peachy here. Thank you for asking. Now fuck off, I'm busy." His brother's presence vanished from his mind and he tipped over against Adam.

 

"They're all okay, just going crazy. It sounds like the Creator has pulled all of my brethren back below." He sighed. "I should probably go too. They'll all be confused, won't know what's going on. It might be good for them to see me, to hear about what happened…"

 

He was tackled by Adam, who dislodged Archie from his lap, tumbling him onto the floor. "You are not going anywhere! I won't allow it!"

 

The command made Kristopher's lips tighten. "Only the Creator gets to give me orders."

 

"And the Maker." Archie piped up from the floor and then accepted a boost up from his mate.

 

"Right. And the Maker." Kristopher accompanied the statement with a nod.

 

"Alright then. I'll go with you." Adam's reply made Kristopher's blood go icy with fear.

 

"No! I won't allow it! The below is no place for angels!" Then he stopped, blushed and groaned. "Fine. I won't go." He glared at Adam who looked unbearably smug. "The only reason I'm agreeing to this, is that the below brethren will think you a tasty snack and I'm just getting used to having you around."

 

Adam paled at this and looked over at David who shook his head, "Don't involve me in your domestics! I have my own mate to sort out. He's obviously been giving out the wrong signals if Magenta over here hit on him." Her offended gasp didn't faze him and Archie just moaned and hid his face in David's neck. "We're going to head back above. I don't think your human is in danger any more. Welcome to the New World Order."

 

He took Archie's hand and they left the apartment with Archie muttering, "Oh my gosh, David, did you have to go and be so embarrassing? I'm never going to be able to face Adam again!" His voice trailed off as they moved away and Adam looked at Allison.

 

"Sweet girl, it would seem that we're done here. We just need to say goodbye." Her lip trembled and eyes grew damp with tears. Adam stood up and went to hug her. "No, please don't cry, baby girl. This is supposed to happen. When we're done with our task, we're supposed to leave. It means that you're safe and that you can have a life without angels and demons and danger. It's a good thing."

 

She sobbed into his neck, "Will I ever see you again?"

 

He squeezed her tightly, "The universe works in mysterious ways. After today, I won't say that there are any absolutes. Who knows?" He tipped her head back, gazed at her. "You are going to do amazing things in this world, Allison Iraheta. It's time you got busy with some of them." He dropped a soft kiss on her cheek and released her.

 

Kristopher got to his feet and walked to them. "I don't really know you, but if I was sent to acquire your powers, then you have something special. Don't waste a moment. Live." He stroked a hand across the back of her head, satin hair clinging to his fingers. "I am very glad that I didn't succeed."

 

She gave a watery giggle, "So am I." Adam took Kristopher's hand and they went to the door. "Thank you." Her words were quiet, heartfelt and Kristopher knew then why the angels worked so tirelessly to protect the mortals. Their grace was divine. If the angels were of the Maker and the demons were from the Creator, then humans were offspring of the Alpha and needed to be cherished. It was a task he looked forward to.

 

"Goodbye." Adam's farewell was choked and sorrowful and Kristopher put an arm around his waist. When a mortal got into an angelic heart, it seemed that it burrowed deep. Kristopher did not think this human girl would not be leaving Adam's thoughts any time soon.

 

Checkmate

It's all wrong

 

Back in his rooms in the above, Adam flung himself on his bed, morose. He missed Allison, feisty, opinionated and honest. A human who expressed every emotion instead of bottling it all up. He wished the angels could be more like that. Who knew, perhaps with all that had happened this day, maybe they would.

 

He sighed and felt a warm palm rest on his back. "You okay?"

 

The concerned voice soothed him and he rolled over onto his back, smiling up at Kristopher's worried face. "I'll be fine. I always get a bit blue when I finish an assignment. The mortals, they're just so…alive. You know?"

 

Kristopher nodded, a corner of his mouth kicking up, ""Yeah, I know. It's the first time that I realized just how real the humans are. Everything is just out there, for everyone to see. They don't have any sense of self-preservation."

 

Adam gave a sharp bark of laughter, "Not every human is like Allison though, she's one of a kind. I don't think she's ever had a thought she hasn't expressed out loud, no matter how inappropriate." He started laughing harder. "I would have paid big money to see her trying to kiss Dav…Archie though."

 

Kristopher sat down next to him on the bed, a broad grin on his face. "Who ever heard of a gay angel?"

 

Adam snorted and tried to stop sniggering. "The single funniest thing a human has said to me. Ever." He felt a weariness come over him, unsurprising as this day had been nothing short of epic. "We should get something to eat, then feed, then sleep. In that order." He shuffled off the bed and headed out of the room, into the kitchenette, Kristopher trailing after him. "What would you like?"

 

He looked back over his shoulder at Kristopher, who had propped himself against the doorway. "I don't mind. Whatever you're having is fine by me."

 

Adam decided that breakfast was a meal that could be eaten any time of the day and besides, they needed their protein. So in short order, bacon was sizzling, toast was in the toaster and he was mixing eggs for a scramble.

 

Kristopher was silent, just gazing at him and he grew self-conscious. "What? Is there dirt on my nose? Something in my teeth? Why are you staring at me?"

 

That luscious mouth curled in a slow smile, sweet and hot and all Adam wanted to do was walk over there and take him standing up against the wall. "Just looking at you, angel boy. You're kind of pretty."

 

Adam preened, he couldn't help himself, "That's good to know, spawn, seeing as you're stuck with me for…oh…ever." He turned to take the bacon out of the pan and poured the egg mixture in, switching the stove off. He motioned for his mate to come and make himself useful, passing him the toast and a knife and some butter.

 

"Already ordering me around, and not even mated a day." The comment was made with a smirk so Adam ignored it and dished up the bacon and scrambled eggs and handed Kristopher a plate.

 

"Eat, there is blood on the way. We can feed and then get some rest. I think tomorrow will bring a whole new set of challenges." Kristopher obeyed, eyes slitted and knowing and they ate swiftly, appetites huge after all that had gone before that day.

 

It's all right

 

A knock came just as Kristopher finished eating and he went to answer the door at Adam's nod. He opened it to admit Matthew and Megan.

 

"Hello again." Matthew's eyes ran over Kristopher's body, eyes greedy and Adam stood and went quickly to his mate's side.

 

The scowl was deterrent enough as Megan spoke, "We've come to feed you both. As Adam seems particularly unwilling to let another male within a foot of you, Kristopher, I will feed you. Matthew, stop being a provocative ass and feed Adam." She held out a wrist and Kristopher bit down. The iron-sweet tang of angel blood flooded his mouth and he grew dizzy. He felt a strong arm go around him and raised his eyes to see Adam doing the same to Matthew's wrist. Connected by sight, they fed.

 

The feeding only lasted seconds. Not much was needed, just enough to energize and replenish a blood supply that had run through bodies centuries old.

 

Megan sighed, "I will let you know when you will be needed to feed someone else, Kristopher. I believe the feeding custom is the same in the below?" He nodded, content with the arrangement, that at least something felt familiar in this new world. She smiled, "Good night then. And welcome to our family." A soft kiss on his cheek and she turned to go, grabbing Matthew and hauling him with her when he looked like he wanted to kiss Kristopher too.

 

Adam's face was thunderous. "I swear, if he wasn't my brother…"

 

Kristopher smirked. "I like that you're jealous. It makes me feel wanted, desired. It's kind of hot."

 

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Hot?" Pursed his lips. "I seem to recall a discussion earlier about me feeling you inside me and then you being provocative and saying not yet. I think I made you a promise then too. A situation that needed a remedy." He stalked Kristopher who gave a small yelp and then ran, laughing his ass off.

 

Adam chased him into the bedroom, cornered him, grabbed him around his waist and picked him up. Kristopher wasn't going down without a fight and he wriggled and twisted in Adam's grasp until he was tossed onto the bed and covered with Adam's much larger body.

 

It's all wrong

 

"I think this works better without clothing." Adam's words were accompanied by the removal of shirts and denims and the fact that Kristopher assisted with the undressing told Adam that he wasn't all that afraid of what was to come.

 

"Be gentle with me." Kristopher fluttered his eyelashes and Adam chuckled. Still surprising him it seemed.

 

"I want to kiss you." He asked permission. This wasn't a taking, it was a sharing, and Kristopher had to be willing. The other's mouth lifted, lips parted in invitation and Adam bent his head, took that offering. He outlined the shape of it with his tongue, full lower lip begging to be nipped and suckled and he did. The accompanying moans encouraged him to spear deep into the recess of that mouth, heat and spice and home. They danced with each other for a few minutes like that, mouths dueling and tasting and seducing. All that time Adam kept his hands still.

 

"I want to touch you." His voice was low with want and Kristopher barely opened his eyes. He just nodded and lay back as Adam's fingers roamed all over his body. He pressed and stroked and scratched lightly at skin and muscle and sinew. Adam's eyes followed his hands as he mapped the line of Kristopher's neck, from beneath the chin to the joint of the chest, traced with one finger-tip, chased that finger with an avaricious mouth that pulled and marked. He caressed the hard point of a nipple, pinched and tweaked, followed it with heated lips that bit and suckled. He sketched the sweet curve of Kristopher's belly, trailed with soft lips rubbing against softer skin. He wrapped the hard jut of cock with lean fingers, pulled and squeezed, pursued by tongue, licking and sucking.

 

Kristopher bowed up off the bed, groaning and begging for mercy. But Adam didn't feel like being merciful, he wanted Kristopher to shake and shout and plead. His hands moved down strong thighs and back up, under, to tight buttocks. He dug his fingers in and pulled Kristopher up to meet him so that their bodies were meshed with sweat and skin. He moved his fingers inward, to that space that was virgin and would be only his. He pressed in, fingers wet with precome and sweat and Kristopher whimpered.

 

"Does it hurt?" His question was soft, concerned, he didn't want there to be pain. Kristopher's head thrashed from side to side in a definitive no.

 

"I want to fuck you." This last consent was the most important. It was Kristopher giving himself to Adam completely in every possible way. Fingers still deep in his body, he waited.

 

"Do it. Take me. Fuck me. I'm yours." The grunted words shattered the last of Adam's control and he lifted Kristopher's body, draped his legs over his own thighs as he knelt on the bed. He wet his palm with fluid from both of them, and moved forward, pressing the tip of his cock to the entrance of Kristopher's body.

 

"Don't want to hurt you." He could barely speak, his words were growled, but his concern was all for his mate.

 

Kristopher opened his eyes and let Adam see the desire. "Will you shut the fuck up and just get inside?" His mouth was snarling and desperate and Adam leaned forward to kiss him. The forward motion pressed Adam in, tip first and then he sank deep. He just could not stop the momentum, even though he could feel the resistance of Kristopher's body. When he tried to stop, he felt Kristopher's fingers dig into the muscles of his back, nails breaking the skin, urgent, demanding. "Don't stop. Please."

 

Too much, Adam thought as he climaxed and the white star burst of ecstasy blinded him for a second. No one had warned him that sex, fucking, love-making could be the beginning and the end of everything. The shout that came from Kristopher was proof that he too had seen the sun.

 

Adam dropped forward, forehead resting on Kristopher's breast bone and slowly, carefully pulled out. The slight grimace that crossed his face told Adam that he was going to be fairly sore in the morning.

 

"That was…terrifying." He lifted his head and looked down at Kristopher whose hands stroked over his shoulders and down his back. "I usually have a little more finesse." He winced at the sting when Kristopher's fingers reached the small cuts made in the middle of the storm.

 

"Sorry about that." Kristopher's grin told him that he was anything but sorry. "I pushed you. I pushed and pushed and eventually you cracked. I wanted you to crack. I wanted you in me, fucking me, owning me. You were taking too long."

 

Adam lifted his head and stared down at an unrepentant mate. "I beg your pardon?"

 

"You gave me exactly what I wanted, angel boy. And then you gave me more." That succulent mouth curled in a satisfied grin.

 

Adam had to know. He had to ask. "What 'more' did I give you, spawn?" Kristopher's eyes were soft, light and Adam was hoping that perhaps there was love there, growing. He didn't want to be the only one with feelings that threatened to overwhelm him, overtake him.

 

Kristopher traced the line from brow, over nose and lips and down to the pulse of Adam's neck that beat frantically and smiled sweetly, "You gave me everything, Adam. You gave me everything."

**Author's Note:**

> AU – Angels and demons are not all about good and evil. This all started with the song. I get shivers every time I hear it. Trust me. Listen to it. It will change you forever. The headings are the movements in a chess game.


End file.
